Project Upland Magazine

Project Upland Magazine Project Upland is dedicated to those that love wild birds, public lands, shotguns, and hunting dogs. And who knows, maybe we will bump into you along the way.
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We understand the niche diversities of the upland hunting culture: grouse hunters are different than chukar hunters, pointing dog folk are different than spaniel folk, and those double gun people are committed—but so are those vintage pump collectors, too. What we all share in this love is the stories that move our culture toward the future while celebrating the past. We strive to tell those stori

es to inspire everything from the next hunt to the first hunt. To share a little bit about myself as the founder—I grew up hunting grouse and woodcock on the weekends with my father over a Brittany named MacGyver. I would smuggle hunting magazines into my bedroom and read them with a flashlight under my covers while dreaming about my first pointing dog. My uncle would drop me off on random logging roads and point in a direction and say, “Eventually you will end up at camp if you walk long enough.” All are adventures I still crave today: the wildness of grouse, the romance of logging country, and the hum of gas lanterns at night with friends and family. Deer hunting took up a lot of time through my high school and college years, but I always found my way back to the grouse woods each season. When I finally worked that bug out of my system, I did get that pointing dog I’d always dreamt about. He’s a Griffon named Grim and, well, if you found your way to Project Upland then you know how the story goes from there. Now I spend each fall season at my family’s camp, hunting behind my dog in the north country of New England. I occasionally wander out to experience new places like the prairies of the West. I developed an unhealthy financial relationship with side-by-side shotguns, yet I never seem to find the perfect one…

In 2014, I founded Project Upland while chasing bird hunters and dogs through the Northwoods with a camera. I set simple goals of sharing other people’s love for the uplands and creating art from it, not to mention having a convenient excuse to hunt more often. In 2018, the simple goal somehow evolved all the way to a print magazine and, in 2020, it escalated to the print volumes of Hunting Dog Confidential. Our promise to our subscribers, readers, listeners, and viewers is to deliver high-quality storytelling from all over our community that is a realistic reflection of the upland- obsessed. We strive to give ample effort, time, and resources to the cause of upland conservation to help ensure that future generations can enjoy better habitat and greater bird numbers. We are far from perfect, but we seek to evolve ourselves and learn along the way in order to serve the community as a true representation of what we all love. If we tell one story, produce one film, or take one photo that inspires someone to either rekindle or discover their love for the uplands, then it was all worth it. The family at Project Upland hopes you find yourself following dogs across the unique habitats of the North American landscape in pursuit of wild birds as often as you can. Here is to your journey in the uplands and each season to come.

Wild chukar hunting and wild mushrooms are very prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. This dish is a great way to utilize ...
10/28/2025

Wild chukar hunting and wild mushrooms are very prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. This dish is a great way to utilize both. You might think that this dish is complicated, but it’s actually quite simple to prepare. Before you leave bird camp, bone and truss the bird. Then, when you’re ready to cook, grill the chukar while also grilling the potatoes directly on the coals. Once everything is done, place the bird on top of the potatoes and garnish with sautéed porcini mushrooms.

This recipe elevates roasted wild chukar with foraged purslane and porcini mushrooms for a special meal worthy of the hunt.

Colloquially, “grouse” has been used as a catch-all term for ground-dwelling game birds. Today, though, the term is used...
10/27/2025

Colloquially, “grouse” has been used as a catch-all term for ground-dwelling game birds. Today, though, the term is used for the names of most members of a taxonomic “tribe” known as Tetraonini. The taxonomic tribe is part of the family Phasianidae, which is also the taxonomic family that has turkeys, an evolutionary relative of the grouse. Phasianidae is part of the broader order Galliformes, which is the taxonomic classification for “landfowls,” including chickens, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

While grouse can be found throughout the world, there are several main species of them that hunters can target in North America. Perhaps the most well-known species of grouse is the ruffed grouse, which are found in forests along the East Coast to the mountains of the Northwest. Similar but distinct species include the dusky and sooty grouse. Then, when it comes to prairie grouse, there are the iconic sharp-tailed grouse and sage grouse. Each species of grouse offers a unique opportunity to hunt a native upland bird in the U.S.

Learn about North American grouse species—from ruffed and sharptail to sage and dusky—and discover why every upland hunter should chase them.

Drawing an accurate timeline for the development of the Vizsla is not easy. Many of the published histories on the breed...
10/26/2025

Drawing an accurate timeline for the development of the Vizsla is not easy. Many of the published histories on the breed seem more like wishful thinking than true scholarly analysis. I’ve read many claims about the breed being 1,000 years old and of ancient rock carvings depicting Vizslas hunting with hawks, but I have yet to find anything that substantiates those claims or even attempts to put them into an accurate historical context.

The Hungarian Vizsla is a Medium-sized pointing dog breed with an energetic, affectionate, eager-to-please personality.

The renaissance of the side-by-side shotgun is fueled by an increase in popularity, notably among millenials. Project Up...
10/25/2025

The renaissance of the side-by-side shotgun is fueled by an increase in popularity, notably among millenials. Project Upland’s annual survey of upland bird hunters has shown consistently increasing trends since 2018. While baby boomers account for the largest and most stable demographic in side-by-sides, millennials account for the second largest demographic in popularity, a number that has grown by almost 10 percent in four years.

Side-by-side shotguns have made a comeback with millennial hunters and a younger generation that has caused new production and demand.

New shirt, mug, and sticker design! The Pudelpointer is a versatile hunting dog developed in Germany in the nineteenth c...
10/24/2025

New shirt, mug, and sticker design!

The Pudelpointer is a versatile hunting dog developed in Germany in the nineteenth century and remains strong today. This classic shirt design highlights the breed’s form above a Project Upland logo.

This Pudelpointer classic logo design t-shirt highlights the distinct characteristics of this historic versatile German dog breed.

Opening weekend hunters usually find plenty of uneducated, juvenile pheasants scattered around suitable habitat. However...
10/23/2025

Opening weekend hunters usually find plenty of uneducated, juvenile pheasants scattered around suitable habitat. However, the young birds who survive the first attack by the orange army learn quickly. They become the wily roosters hunters curse as the season progresses. Pheasants are difficult enough to consistently harvest, but our own mistakes often make the pheasant hunting chess match harder than it needs to be.

Excessive noise, poor pushing or blocking strategies, hunters’ unwillingness to adapt, and not trusting the dog are just a few mistakes that result in lighter bird vests throughout the season.

From being excessively loud to ignoring your bird dog, avoid these common pheasant hunting mistakes and bring more roosters to your game bag.

“Yes, we all hear about the birds that are reported to be shot over solid points, but these are nowhere nearly as common...
10/21/2025

“Yes, we all hear about the birds that are reported to be shot over solid points, but these are nowhere nearly as common as they once were, regardless of the excellence of the modern grouse dog, or the advanced hunting knowledge of the shooter. This is all because our New England grouse of today has become ultra-educated and an expert in organized retreat.” Fosters words could spill off the pages of modern publication and be as true as ever.

Ironically, the more deeply I dove into grouse hunting the less I thought about the idea of the conditioned responses of my quarry. A few times subtle remarks about grouse behavior from biologists got my wheels turning for a moment, but they always came to a halt.

The threat response of ruffed grouse and behavior changes to consider the next time you go bird hunting to increase shooting chances.

Most know the dusky grouse as a naïve resident of the trailside, accompanying backpacking trips and supplementing camp m...
10/20/2025

Most know the dusky grouse as a naïve resident of the trailside, accompanying backpacking trips and supplementing camp meals during big game pursuits. Others, like myself, seek a more thorough understanding of these “foolbirds.”

To me, this blue grouse is the mountain’s quintessential feathered game—a catalyst for adventure. While they can simply be taken along any given backcountry trail or logging road, a true dusky grouse hunt possesses all the qualities of the most rigorous upland pursuits.

A complete guide to dusky grouse hunting that covers habitat, behavior, seasons, and effective hunting tactics across the western states.

Do the results surprise you? Every spring, Project Upland conducts its annual North American Upland Bird Hunting Survey....
10/19/2025

Do the results surprise you?

Every spring, Project Upland conducts its annual North American Upland Bird Hunting Survey. To no one’s surprise, in the survey, we ask a bunch of questions about dogs. Seventeen questions, to be exact. Our goal is to learn about how many dogs you have, what breeds you own, the type of hunting dogs you prefer, and the impact that dogs have had on you as a hunter. However, an added bonus of the survey is that it captures which dog breeds are the most popular within the Project Upland community.

We also enjoy sharing the survey’s data with you. And of course, since we’re all dog lovers here, there’s an argument to be made that the most interesting information found in the survey is the top 5 most popular bird dog breeds.

Exploring the most popular bird dog breeds from the German Wirehaired Pointer to the Labrador Retriever and even some spaniels.

Hunters look down on steel shot. Almost by default, steel is seen as an inferior killing instrument when compared to lea...
10/18/2025

Hunters look down on steel shot. Almost by default, steel is seen as an inferior killing instrument when compared to lead shot. The public inferred a gap between steel shot and lead shot’s effectiveness because of decades of misinformation. Even the potential damage to shotgun barrels via steel shot had campaigns supporting this misinformation, albeit some barrels, like Damascus, cannot handle steel. While elements of this argument are factual, there is much more to this story, even more so for us upland enthusiasts.

As upland hunters, we often pursue game birds that are less resilient to shot than our quarry’s waterfowl counterparts. Depending on the species, the distances we shoot can often be far closer than what waterfowl hunters experience. Furthermore, the advancement in steel shot since the federal government first introduced the lead ban has made the gap between steel and lead even smaller. Add in increased manufacturing demands, and the cost of steel has come in line over the years.

Discussing the myths, truths, and science behind the effectiveness of steel shot compared to lead shot ballistics.

🐕 New breed added! - The Wirehaired Vizsla.The Wirehaired Vizsla is a remarkable dog breed from Hungary, admired around ...
10/17/2025

🐕 New breed added! - The Wirehaired Vizsla.

The Wirehaired Vizsla is a remarkable dog breed from Hungary, admired around the world. This classic design features a Wirehaired Vizsla on point in its most iconic form.

Check out our selection of Wirehaired Vizsla merchandise—from drinkware to apparel, we have something for everyone who loves this dog breed.

Most kids grow up hearing about a “snipe hunt.” The story usually ends with a gullible friend wandering around in the da...
10/16/2025

Most kids grow up hearing about a “snipe hunt.” The story usually ends with a gullible friend wandering around in the dark while everyone else giggles at camp. The joke has lasted for generations, but the bird itself is no punch line. Real snipe hunting has a long and surprising history, from the campfire prank to unusual mid-century methods of catching the birds.

Today, chasing Wilson’s snipe is a legitimate pursuit that blends waterfowl and upland hunting, offering fast-flying birds, wet boots, and some of the most underrated table fare in the uplands.

From prank to pursuit, learn about Wilson’s snipe hunting history, identification, and tactics for chasing this overlooked upland game bird.

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These are your stories . . .

“To expose the uplands to the world, to capture defining moments, to push our passion and culture forward, to bring our community closer, to make us feel. These are your stories.” – Project Upland Motto

Project Upland is the original bird hunting epic series from the Northwoods Collective. From award-winning films to the new Project Upland Magazine, Project Upland continues to grow and celebrate the upland bird hunting community. This multi-media platform has housed over 5 million film views and over 1 million website hits since the website launch in 2016.

Project Upland Magazine is a quarterly publication that takes readers through the four seasons of our living tradition. From history to culture, we will continue in our quest to preserve the past and welcome the future. In all this, we are committed to staying true to our collective – the DIY-ers, professional dog trainers, first-time dog handlers, dogless hunters, shotgun enthusiasts, novice bird hunters, and all the upland obsessed.

These are your stories . . .